Meghan and sunflower

Mandy put this on facebook. Look how that sunflower is growing! Mandy is going to repot it.
I don't know how much of a green thumb she has. Hope she doesn't kill it! Now I think I want a sunflower growing.

When Ma dies.......

Hey,
I want one of these!

Kelli Bug

Kelli Bug will be graduating soon. We are so proud of her! Go girl! I got this in the mail yesterday. Isn't she just a little "cutie"?

We love you Kell Bell!

Happy Birthday Harvey

Oh no......I almost let the day go by without letting you know that today is Uncle Harvey's birthday. I meant to post something the first thing this morning, but I forgot. He was born the 28th of April, 1943 I think it was. Wow....does that really make him 67?

No, he doesn't read the blog, I just thought you would like to know it's his birthday. Wherever you are tonight Harvey, hope you have had a good one!

Ma at work!

This is what I am working on. My African Safari quilt. It's the class I took about a month before I left for our journey west. You start off with 12 different fabrics, 12" squares. You stack them all on top of each other and put the pattern (picture 1) on top. You cut through all 12 layers......9 different pieces.

Then the funny part, you move 1 piece of Number 1 to the bottom of the pile......2 pieces of piece 2, and so on til you get to #9. You move 9 pieces on top to the bottom. Then you start to sew, piece 1 to # 2. Number 3 to number 4 and so on. After each sewing you have to stop, iron, trim, and start again. Once you finish up with all 12 blocks, you stack another 12 pieces of 12" fabric, and continue on. You end up doing 36 squares. None of the squares are the same. After they are sewn and cut, they only end up being 9 1/2 inches. When I finish all the squares, I sew them together, add a boarder, and I'll be ready to put it all together. I'm getting real good with sewing straight seams. It's about time though.

I talked to Christy this morning. She still sound miserable. Any ideas on how to perk her up?

If so, let me know.

Have a good day!

Me

I am alive and still sick. My throat hurts all day, I cough so much my chest hurts and snot is running out all day. My insurance starts this weekend so I think I may finally go to the doctors. It's hard to sleep at night so I usually take meds.

Kathy and Tasha are coming here this weeekend to go to a coupon blog convention. Tashas birthday is tomorrow so I'll have to get her a cake we can have this weekend.

Seth is on his cruise for his last 19 days of school. Tomorrow they are in Italy so they get pizza for lunch.

Meghan has a boyfriend at school. He's cute.

Bye everyone.

Play Ball

So, what do you name a ball team when your dad runs a hatchery? Nothing but "The Case Farms Hatchlings". Lauren and Carter had another game today, so they came over before the game so I could get pictures of them. This was the first time I had seen them in their ball uniforms. They were alot better than what Christy and James wore at that age. I didn't go to this game. Too much pollen still. Maybe it will rain next week before their game.

I finally pulled out the sewing machine and got back to work today. AAhhhh. the nice feel of cotton! It was nice, quiet, and cool......ideal for sewing!

Home again, home again jiggity jig

Yes, I'm home, awake now, and now I have got to get back in the routine. I have unpacked all the dirty clothes and got them washed. I still have a suitcase of clean clothes that I have to put up. And then there's the fabric I bought at the quilt shops. I have all of it on the guest bed, but I have to go ahead and put it in the closet. I washed the rugs, but now I have to mop the floor. All and all, I have done about one half of what needs to be done. Just one day at a time! I can do it, sure I can.

This asthma stuff still has hold of me and won't let go. I still haven't made it to the Piggly Wiggly.

There's just so much pollen EVERYWHERE. There is even a yellow film of pollen under my kitchen door, where the thresh hold or what ever it is called.

See my picture up there.......that's my favorite purple bush. I don't know what it is called. I just LOVE my purple bush though. The azalea's are in bloom, with a few of them dying out, and I am sure the pine tree pollen is abundant. But don't you just love my purple bush? Anyone know what it is called?

It's time to go bring in Jack and Girl dog. Girl dog is over fighting with the neighbor's dogs. I don't think that girl will ever learn. I guess it's good that she is blind so she can't see how big they really are!

Have a good day everyone, and take the time and inhale some pollen!

Joe Roller saves the day!

Well, that's the story Eli tells anyway. Eli has been bullied by a kid at school. He was convinced that he was going to be killed today (Monday). Joe carried him to school, and worked things out, so now Eli is convinced his dad is a hero. I'm sure Kat will tell all about it on her blog.

It was good talking to you Eli. Grandma loves you!

So, How's Christy?

So, how's Christy? Don't ask me. I haven't a clue. Still shaking I would imagine. Here's a follow up on the last of anything I knew. She still takes her lorazapam for shaking. If she takes it at 9:00am with breakfast, the shaking has calmed down by 11:00am. It was prescribed for twice a day, morning and night, but she doesn't take the nightly dose, because she doesn't shake then. By the evenings she is doing pretty good, that is if she hasn't over exerted herself during the day, or she hasn't gotten stressed out. Just a little bit of stress can cause a whole lot of tremors.
Having a good "Christy fit" will put her back in bed for a couple of hours.

At one time she was tired of everyong calling asking, "How are you doing, How do you feel". So, I have tried not to call. I guess if there is any change she will call us.

I don't know if her medical records were ever sent to University of Utah, or wherever it was. Maybe she can enlighten us on that.

That's about all I know. These are the facts as I know them.

Random pictures

Here are just some of the random pictures left in the camera. The first picture Sherrill took going through the Hoover Dam. He has finally learned how to operate the camera.

Second picture is Isaac of course, moving about in his walker. He really doesn't use it much, he was just showing Grandma what he could do! That little fella is one of a kind. You can sit on the couch and he will climb up to sit beside you. Doesn't want to talk, or even acknowledge that you are there, just sits and looks.

Sherrilll at the Arkansas rest area. Arkansas is one of those 'left out' states. Does ANYONE know ANYBODY that lives in Arkansas? Didn't think so. I took the picture because I want to stain the patio area that red color.

I am FINALLY about rested from the past 3 weeks of travel. Now I have to go to the Piggly Wiggly to restock the freezer.

I HATE NASCAR ! ! !

Why can't a person drive across the US without having to be exposed to Nascar? Knowing that I will zoom right past Darlington causes no stress. Passing through Alabama, what appears, but the Talledaga race way. And, even before arriving in Vegas, there's the Las Vegas raceway.

You know how Sherrill is and his Nascar. The trip there was bad enough, but returning home there was a race at Talledaga. People everywhere.

Can't you just imagine a little head hanging out the window, with the tongue flapping in the 80 MPH breeze, taking pictures of all the campers at the raceway. So.....here you have it, what Sherrill saw while I was zooming down the road at 80 MPH.

WORK

Well at dinner tonight Kenneth was asking Kurt why he didn't play outside today, but Luke did. Kurt then told Kenneth that he could have, but he was playing in his room. Then Ken told Kurt that he was not playing he was working on his ship. Kurt then said it's playing if he was having fun and Ken said that he was not having fun but he had to fix the ship. Then I jumped in and said that it was like Kurt working on the truck, he didn't have fun but it needed to be done. Ha Ha Ha That's my Kenny.

More Cooties

Well today I had a sleepy morning and then I had a great day. Everyone was doing great till about 4pm then Luke came upstairs crying because his ear hurt, I took his temp. and it was over 100F. So I called the doctor and she got him in right away. Well of course he has an ear infection, so we got meds. and ear drops. Now he is running around again. Then I go lay down after dinner, I think I over did today and when I got up Kurt and Kenny where trying to find out what was smoking. Well we found out it was in the kitchen. After much serching it was the gas stove that was still on with no fire under it. Well I go around and open doors and windows. So that was my day one sick Luke and Kurt trying to kill the whole house, because you know it was not me near that stove.

Just have to say again thanks mom and dad for coming all the way out here to take care of me and my crazy house. Robo still misses dad though. Also thank you Kathy for the cooties and cleaning my house all except my room and Abby and James for taking care of Jack and Girl dog. Mandy thank you for keeping everyone for informed.

304 Crestwood Drive

WE ARE HOME ! ! !

Good night.

Good night for tomorrow.

And maybe even Good night for Sunday!

Ma

Is the sun up yet?

NO...The sun is NOT up. Not where I am anyway. As you can tell, I'm still tired, and still a little grouchy. Come out, Come out, wherever you are. When the sun comes up, then I can hit the road!
I'm just sitting here waiting and watching.

So, did you see all the tornadoes yesterday in Texas and Oklahoma? We were lucky enough to dodge them all day. Sherrill kept wanting to stop for food, but we kept on booking it until I knew we would be out of the weather. James and Kat kept an eye on things for us too! Sherrill finally got that meal about 1:30 yesterday.

Well, it's about time to hit the road again. Take care everyone.

What a day this has been!

Need I say more. Actually everything today went ok until about 8:30 pm. From 8:30- 9:30 pm we rode around Memphis in the hood. Yes, the real hood. The one that when you go to the convenient store to ask for directions the front door is LOCKED and you have to talk through a peep hole. We finally made it through Memphis, and have arrived in Mississippi. I'm grouchy, tired, and haven't eaten since 1:30 this afternoon.
Good night world.

Graduation

Well today was Luke's preschool graduation. We were so excited but Luke was sad. He loves school and his classmates. Kurt is home for just a bit. Catherine had speech today and it went great. Jacob had a french fry for dinner and he couldn't get enough. Ken had school today and all he had to say about that was "It's was ok"
The shakes are a bit more today, will see how tomorrow will go.

The start of a new day

The laptop shows 7:00 am, but the clock in the room shows 5:00 am. As for me, I'm not even sure I'm awake yet. The asthma thing is kicking in, so I had to get up for a breathing treatment. Thanks Kat for sending along the nebulizer. I really have used it! I'll mail it to you as soon as I get home. From now on, I know not to leave home without one!

So, here are the numbers. We are over 14 hours from Memphis. Then another 13-14 hours from Memphis t0 home. Add to that 2 more hours we will loose traveling through time zones, add that to the food and rest stop breaks. And, what do you have........one frustrated mama! And today's weather calling for rain, rain, and even more beautiful rain.

Sherrill just walked in the room with his "Sleepy, dazed, where am I look". "Are we leaving now",
he said. "No, not quite yet. Let's at least wait until the sun comes up". He went back to his room and crawled in bed.

There wasn't a suite available for us, so we ended up with adjoining rooms. Wow....I got my own bathroom! Now I don't have to wait for a man sitting on the John reading a newspaper. Well, I guess I will be waiting for him, I just won't know when he it taking care of such noble matters.

I can't wait to get home, to climb in my own bed. It might take a little longer than what we had planned, but we WILL make it there eventually.

Hope everyone has an exciting day.

Tucumcari, New Mexico

Can you spell that one? We have stopped here for the night. We left Kat's this morning around 6:00. We stopped at Carl Jr's to get a biscuit, and all they had were wraps, burgers, and french toast sticks. We got the french toast and went on our way. Little did we know that our next meal would not be until 7:00 PM! What then.....another Carl Jr's. Sherrill was eating Little Debbie cakes and candy bars the entire way though.

We were going through Flagstaff Arizona, and it started to snow....then sleet, within a couple of minutes I ran up on at least one to two inches of ice on the road.....covered. I was going 80. You couldn't brake, there were big trucks everywhere. I just let off the gas, grabbed the steering wheel and hung on. Now, this is way up in the mountains. Pretty scary for me. After we got out of the ice we stopped for gas. Sherrill opened my driver's door and the wind grabbed it. When we left, going down the highway it sounded like a freight train was running along beside us. It was louder than riding in a jeep. We went on to the next town, and stopped at Winslow Arizona at a Ford dealership. They didn't have a body shop, but the man lead us to Dalton's Body shop....down in the hood. A young Hispanic boy came out and took our keys. You couldn't help
but notice the cut around the front of his neck and the scar it had left. Anyway a little while later he came around and told us the entire door would need to be taken off and adjusted, but he did something that would last us until we got home. And....NO CHARGE! So, the noise is gone, but it is hard to close the door though.

That's all for today. I have to check the maps to see how far we willo be traveling tomorrow.
Goodnight all!

Well all is well around here, except for the cold's Jacob, Cat and I have. As always the shaking is still there but because of the Lorazapam I can manage. I rode in the van today to get Luke from school. Today was his last day. I also vaccumed the floor, other than that I have just rested. I am holding Jacob right now while he's asleep. Kurt is coming home tomorrow and he is going to try and work on the back deck and put some rails up and then if there's time add a fence to the back yard. Anyone wanta come help??

Sherrill and Chris are back!

Sherrill and Chris made it back safely from South Dakota. Looks like Cindy did a great job of taking care of them. Chris can't stop talking about Nate. He's convinced Nate is going to be one of the best wrestlers ever. He liked hanging around with Kelli too. Sherrill and Chris both really liked Derrick. How strange is that?

Thanks Cindy and Jerrud for taking such good care of them. Sherrill is determined to head back that way. He hates flying, so he will be looking for another mode of transportation. Sorry I was unable to make it this trip. I was going to go stay with Christy, but ended up here with Kat taking care of me.

We are packing our bags getting ready to head out in the morning. I'll have to check the weather reports. A snow storm is going through Christy's area, and a cold front in Vegas. I'll have to check out New Mexico and Flagstaff Arizona. That's where we will be going through.

I'll have to get up with Cindy and see if she got and pictures of the kids and Sherrill.

Conversation with a child

One morning I was sitting at the kitchen table feeding Jacob. He was just laughing and cooing.
Luke looked real serious and said, "Grandma, Jacob is the only person in our family that smiles."
This caught me by surprise, and I replied, "No Luke, don't you smile?" He proceeded to tell me that he DOES NOT smile because someone at school had told him he had fat cheeks. I told him he did NOT have fat cheeks, and I wanted to see a smile.....with teeth showing. Now, Luke can be a little shy at times, but with alot of coaxing I finally would just say, "Smile Luke", and he would flash those pearly whites. So, if any of you talk to Luke on the phone, remind him to SMILE!
Oh, he graduates from preschool Thursday night.

Welcome to Las Vegas

Sherrill has been waiting for a picture of him under this sign. He finally got one, thanks to Mandy!

I'm talking to Christy as I type this. She said she is not shaking as bad. She has started back doing a little sewing, but she tires easily. She said she has gotten sick from Kathy's germs. The Dr said Kat's was just allergies though. So the count is, Kat's sick, Chrsity's sick now, Luke and Catherine are sick, Christy said Mandy is sick. Poor Joe Roller is sick too! Maybe we will all perk up soon.

That's all the news for now!

Prom

Well I got these photo's from Kelli's facebook page.Let all call Kelli and ask her for some more, or maybe Wendy has more..

Ma's sick

Sorry i didn't get to post yesterday. I'm sick. Went to Walgreen's to their little clinic. They said I have sinusitis and bronchitis. I got an antibiotic and came back to Kat's and went to bed. Today I wasn't getting any better, so Kat went to Target to have my prednisone refilled. I'm beginning to perk up a little, but I can't imagine driving across the country feeling like this. I might have to postpone leaving for a couple of days.

Sherrill made it to South Dakota safe and sound. Chris went out with Kelli and her boyfriend. Can't wait to hear that story! They come back to Vegas tomorrow afternoon.

Christy said she is still shaking and spending alot of time in bed. The doctor said she has pulmonary hypertension, so she has to sleep with a pulse ox on her finger to see if her oxygen level drops while she is sleeping. That's about all I know about her.

Everyone take care, and have a good day :)

Comings and Goings

Today we have done alot of coming and going. Kat and I started out the morning going to the fabric shop. Mandy, Sherrill, and the kids went to Lowes for a project. When we all got back, Kat, Sherrill, and the boys went to the Mexican flea market, and me, Mandy and Meghan went to Target. We all got back again, and Mandy, Joe and Sherrill went to the pawn shop, M&M world, and the strip. Kat and I stayed home with Isaac. When the others came home, Kat and Mandy went out to another fabric shop. Some time in between all the running Mandy, Sherrill, and Meghan went to the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign for a picture. That's how our day went.

I just talked with Christy. She is feeling a little better, but is still on clear liquids. Now Catherine is getting sick. Poor little thing. Kurt's mom will be there until Thursday. I had planned on going after Sherrill left for South Dakota, but now I have Kat's cooties.....coughing alot, almost like bronchitis.

Mandy and Sherrill got t-shirts for the McKeel kids, but I think Carters will be WAY to big. If we get a chance, we will exchange it. If not, I'll just be in alot of trouble with him!

Sherrill continues to feed Katie everything she is NOT supposed to have. The two of them stick together like glue. That's about all I know for now.

Goodnight everyone!

Shh, don't tell dad but he had to go to the Pawn Shop that has the tv show and wanted his pic taken.  

Pictures

Luke, Isaac, Jacob, Catherine and Kenny. Kenny and Luke were having a dance-off. I'll get pictures of the other kids today.

Mandy is in Vegas!

Mandy arrived last night around 10:00 PM. Sherrill and the boys had gone to the strip. I stayed behind to take a bath and wash my hair. Kat and I just watched tv and watched Isaac play. Those kids were up a little after 6 this morning. Mandy slept in the playroom with Meghan, Seth, and Eli.
It sounded like they were having a party.

Christy was still sick last night the last time we talked to her. Kat is sick here, and I think has spread a little my way. Her's was just supposed to be allergies, but she has a terrible cough. Now I have the same cough, just not as bad.

Mandy is the one NOT sick. Her and Sherrill will be headed to Lowe's this morning with the kids to make another project. I believe this time they are making planter boxes. I think Kat and I will head to Joann's while they are at Lowe's. Still there is so much to do and so little time!

If anyone talks to Christy, please post it so we will all know. Maybe I will see if Kurt's mom will start posting for us.

Hope everyone has a GREAT day!

Love you all!

Bad night, Bad day

Well just be thankful that I can post. I was up all last night with a stomach bug, and all day today. I can't keep nothing down. I think we have Luke to thank for the stomach bug.. Well need to go lay back down. Oh yea the Nero doctor just called and wants to try a different med. Oh joy, what fun this will be.

Mandy is Coming to Vegas!

Mandy is coming to Vegas today when she gets off work. We can't wait to see her. Kurt's mom, Debbie, is with Christy. She takes really good care of her.

Kat continues to run around with her head chopped off taking care of Isaac, the other boys, Joe, the house, the dog, and now us. Slow it down Kat, sit back and prop your feet up!



I'm not sure what is on the schedule for today. We have been looking for houses in Vegas for sale. There are thousands of them really cheap!

Quilt shops

Today Kat and I went out to quilt shops. Sherrill stayed behind with Eli, and they went to pick up the carpool kids after school. It was nice getting my hands on fabric again. We also found a pattern for the snap bags I have been wanting to make!

Christy's echo

Christy called and told Sherrill she had her echo cardiogram today. This will see if her disease has caused any heart damage. She also contacted I believe it was University of Utah. They are going to review her case to see if they will take her on as a patient. Is all of this right Christy?

I slept until 9:00 this morning. I got up and Kat had already left with Isaac for therapy. Eli is still at home with hives. That boy has broke out from his head to his feet.

News for the day

We just bought Sherrill a ticket to fly out to South Dakota. No more driving for a few days. He will be leaving Sunday and coming back Tuesday. Plans keep changing daily. Can all of you keep up?
Hey, who wants to fly out and chauffeur us back?

Sherrill's Flea Market

All along the road in New Mexico and
Arizona you see these little "huts" that the Indians sit in and sell all kind of items. My suggestion was that if Sherrill wants a flea market so bad that he try it out here and sell all kinds of things. I was willing to go barter for a prime location. He didn't take me up on it though. I guess he still wants the real thing!

Tuesday's events

I didn't post until late yesterday because I was busy. We got up, had breakfast, cleaned up our mess, said good bye to everyone and left about 10:00 AM. We headed straight for Ace hardware, looking for squirrel feeders and fabric. We hung out there then headed to Granny's Quilts. After there we hit the road heading to Vegas. The first sign we saw that said Cracker Barrel we headed that way, then on to Vegas.

Kurt had told us to stay on highway 15 til we got to 215. I had asked Sherrill to read the signs.....but as soon as he saw the race track, road signs were the last thing on his mind. Anyway, while going around a big truck I caught a glimpse of a sign 215 two miles. I started complaining...."Sherrill what did that sign say?" He is still looking at the race track of course! I'm saying :Sherrill it's the 215 do we get off here...are we going east or west." Sherrill is in a daze, dreaming of a good race. I'm yelling, "Do i take it, Do I take it". Sherrill is still in a daze. OOOPppps, there goes 215. Missed it entirely. So, there's nothing else to do but call Kat. Driving in Las Vegas traffic, I can't talk on the phone, and Sherrill doesn't know how to use MY phone.
So, we are up the Creek again. We have to take the Sahara Ave exit, find a place to pull over, and call Kat. She's out picking up Eli from school. I try to tell her where we are, and she doesn't believe me. "No Kat, really, I'm in Vegas. I'm on the 25oo block of Sahara. " I finally convince her where I am, and she gives us directions. I'm still aggravated with Sherrill for NOT reading the signs. He was the co pilot. That was HIS job! Anyway, we get to Kat's safe and sound.
Now I have access to my laptop, pictures, and everything I need. So, I will try to get some pics posted today. I haven't heard from Christy yet this morning. She doesn't like getting up til around noon. I'll post more later.

Gone from christy's

Hello,
Kurt came home, so Sherrill and I decided to head on to Kat's. Mandy will be coming for the weekend. There's not enough time to visit everyone. Kat was 3 hours south, and Mandy about 7 hours south, so we came to Kat's. Warning to Cindy.......we may be coming your way next. But, don't stress, we will find a hotel. No Kelli, sorry but we can't stay until graduation. I have to be back before the end of the month to do all the quarterly paperwork for Sherrill and my dad's business.

That's all for now.

What is to come

Well here I am back to the blog, don't get use to it. Mom posted yesterday about what went on at the doctor's. Well here is what she missed. I am having an ECO done on my heart because they have not totally ruled out that everything is fine with my heart. They will be checking for a leak and if there is one that means I also have Rheumatic fever. Not good. So lets hope that everything is fine. I didn't go to that doctor in Vegas because they didn't know what Sydenham Chorea was and what's the point of going to another doctor that don't know anything. So I am trying to get an appointment at the U of U in Salt Lake. For those that don't know what that is it's like Duke. The kids are fine and Bella is missing Grandpa. So now it's homework time and dinner time is soon to follow. Ribs, potatoes and green beans YUM!! Oh Yea

.10 cents Broken cloths hanger
.75 cents Missing my favorite hair clip
3 children Going through Sugar Withdraws
1 dog Sad because her best friend left
_________________________________________

Having Mom and Dad visit.....

Priceless

Gone to Hosp for test

Christy just called from the hospital. She has gone there for lab work, and they decided to go ahead and do her echo. Sherrill, the kids and I are fixing dinner and getting ready to eat.

On a funny point......Sherrill was out today in short sleeves playing with the dog. In just a matter of minutes it was snowing a blizzard. Sherrill reminded me it snowed last Monday too. As with all the other weird stuff......only in Utah.

Poor Eli is still confused about the Easter Bunny coming on Friday night not Saturday night! He got to celebrate Easter twice!

Doctors Report

Christy is still at the Dr's office, but called in with this report. They are leaving her on her Lorazapam and is adding another round of penicillin. They are scheduling her for an echo cardiogram to see if there is any damage done to her heart. The Dr. had stepped out of the office to call the neurologist to see if she needed to be on long term antibiotics. The tremors they said could last for up to a year. If I find out more when she gets home, I'll let you know.

The Dr also said is she is looking for a neurologist to head toward Salt Lake, and to look for an older Doctor.

Happy Birthday Aunt Astrid

Today is Aunt Astrid's birthday. If you get a chance, send her an email.

9:00 pm and all is well.......

All is well for now anyway! All the little kids went to bed at 8 pm except of course for Jacob. He has just gone down now, and so has Christy. She spent a little more time today interacting with the kids, and holding Jacob. Little man Jake will be up in a couple of hours ready to eat again.
This boy is an eating machine.

Sherrill decided to sleep upstairs tonight so he could hear Bella. He is really getting attached to that dog. He gave her a bath this afternoon. He got about as wet as she did.

Kurt comes home tomorrow afternoon and that will begin his work week at home. I feel kind of sorry for him. He will be going non stop. When you say for better for worse, I don't think most people think of for worse with a sick wife, four kids, and a mother in law. How much worse could it get for the poor man? Oh yeah......the father in law too!

Kathy got a video of the kids dancing around the living room . Kat, if you read this, please post the video here. I think the other grand kids would love to see it.

I'm off to my room. Hope all is well.

Sunday afternoon

It has been a lovely Sunday afternoon. I got an hour nap and Sherrill, the dog, and the pooper scooper spent their time in the yard. Jake was sleeping, Catherine sleeping with me, and the boys watching a movie with Christy.

Last night I went to bed around 10, Kathy and Christy were watching Twilight, Kat fell asleep, leaving Christy up alone. Chrsity decided that Kat and I looked so stressed out that she would got up with Jake. I was the first to hear him, so I went to fix the bottle, Kat got up to get the dog, Christy got up to get the baby, then Sherrill got up to get the dog. Four adults up for 1 baby and 1 dog! Sherrill went on to bed, Kat got back on the couch. I sat in the chair to make sure Christy got back to bed OK. I got tired of sitting, so I went to the hall to spy on her. She gave me the "evil eye" and pointed as if to say "Back off woman". So, I figured she had things under control, so I went on to my room. We all got back to bed and was able to sleep for the rest of the night.

Kathy left before lunch to head home. We will really miss her. She can clean alot faster than I can. Kurt and Christy will probably be looking for their things for years.

Thanks James for teaching Sherrill's class. Hope ALL the kids were there!

hi

Sorry, no pics. Maybe tomorrow.

Dan is in PHX next week so I'll have his computer to use. Mine is still broken. I think I'm just gonna have to go buy me a new one someday.

Work is going good. I'm bored but they don't seem to care. :) I asked my supervisor to change my schedule but he didn't seem like he wanted to. If he doesn't then I'm going to HR next week and see if they will. For now I'm scheduled to work 11am - 7:30 pm. If I keep that schedule, I'll never see the kids and I'll have to depend on someone taking care of the kids.

Seth is sitting here reading what I'm typing so I've gotta be nice. He keeps laughing. He is a dork like ELI!!!

Meghan is sleeping on the couch for now. She fell asleep watching the Nascar race. Seth is trying his best to stay up all night but I'm not sure how long he will last. Hi Seth!!

Okay, enough for now. I'm looking at him while I'm typing and its freaking him out. he just said that he and Eli are the Kings of All Dorks. :)

Bye everyone. We love ya!!!

EAT MORE DOUGHNUTS :)

We would share! BUT your NOT HERE :)

Tremors are back

Christy woke up this morning shaking and had difficulty with talking. She's had two doses of her medicine today, but it's not any better. I called the pharmacist, and he said her medicine baclofen is a muscle relaxant, whereas the lorazepam is both anti anxiety as well as muscle relaxant.



So, we are skipping her dinner dose tonight and she will be starting back on her Lorazepam tomorrow morning.



Kathy is here working her little but off. She has gone through Christy's kitchen organizing. Last weekend when she was here she worked on Catherine's and Jacobs room. She has labeled almost everything in sight. when you walk in a room you know exactly where everything is. Her and Sherrill have gone off to Walmart. I don't expect them back for hours.



Kenny, Luke, and Eli are downstairs playing. They are really doing good about playing together, except every now and then I think they gang up on poor Luke and leave him out.



Christy is back in bed When she is lying down, she doesn't jerk as much. This disease sure is a strange one.



Hope everyone is having a great day.

Hey guys

Hello everyone,
Christy has had 2 doses of her new medicine, and her tremors are still there. Not as violent as they have been, but she still just sits and shakes. At least she is able now to carry on a conversation.

Sherrill has spent today painting outside doors, and bonding with his new friend Bella. Don't tell Jack of course because he will be jealous. Yesterday Sherrill, Bella, and the kids spent alot of the day outside. Sherrill was watching the kids today, and Catherine (2 years old) was headed to the fish pond. Where was PaPa.......on the other side of the house. Christy was in bed and must have heard her, because she went out for the rescue.

We are fixing dinner now, so I've gotta go. Kat should be here in about 4 hours. Yeaahhhhh ! ! !

Happy 75th Birthday MOM

Well, today is my mom's 75th birthday. I am quite sure she will sleep through most of it. I had planned to be with her today to celebrate, but here I am on the other side of the world it seems.
Anyway, I know you don't read this, but "Happy Birthday mom".

Our schedule for today is allout of whack. Kenny was sick last night, so he ended up sleeping in Christy's room. I didn't go to bed until almost 11:00 and Jacob was up at 1:30, 5:00, and 7:45. I sure am glad he slept in late today. Luke doesn't go to school on Friday, but Catherine does. Christy won't be able to take her shaking medicine any more, so Catherine probably won't make it to school today. She has to go in and sign a paper giving Sherrill permission to drop off and pick up Catherine. Catherine and Jacob are up and fed, and Luke and Kenny are still sleeping, as well as Christy.

Christy will start her new meds this morning after breakfast. It will be a watch and see kind of day. I think she is a little worried about the outcome. She read that it takes 2 months before the medicine gets to its full effects. I guess there will be a whole lot of shaking in between.

The Calvary arrives tonight. Kat and Eli are coming to pull night duty. I guess she is use to that with Isaac. That will be a wonderful blessing. A full nights sleep! Oh how wonderful! Debbie (Kurts mom) comes back on Sunday or Monday. That will free up Sherrill and I to go to Kat's and spend time with the kids there. I can't wait to go to therapy with Isaac. If for any Christy gets worse, I will stay here with her of course.

That's all for now.

ALL READY FOR SCHOOL!!!

I almost forgot! We all loaded up for the kids dr apt this afternoon. Older 2 kids got physicals for school, and Isabella's 18 month check-up. So, this was quite an interesting trip ;) Lauren and Carter received 4 shots each, and Izzy received 3. They were all CHAMPS! We have ended our day with a round of t-ball, and a short walk.

PaPa

"I WANT PAPA TO COME HOME"

Need I say more, notice the tears and nose running!

Happy Birthday Jerrud

I was watching the news and the Wall Street bell was ringing, and I saw the date....April 8th.
Happy Happy Birthday Jerrud. Hope you had an exta special day. I'm sorry I'm not at home so I could have made a montage of you. I'll put that on the schedule for next year.

And Debbie, please tell Bones a belated happy birthday. Hope he got his card.

Let's ALL have some cake!

we did it!

Hey, we did it! Last night went off without a hitch. Jacob got his 9:00 feeding and went to bed.
He was awake at midnight for a bottle. He woke up again at 3, but a burp and a little rocking did the trick. He was up a little before 5 for another bottle. He didn't wake up again until around 7. Sherrill got up for the midnight feeding to take Bella out. He slept through the 5 am feeding, but Kurt was getting ready to leave so he carried her out.

By 7:30 it was time to get the boys up. Catherine is always up before 7. Breakfast, teeth brushed, dog walked, you know the routine. Kenneth leaves home around 8:30 and Luke leaves at 8:40. So, Sherrill has gone to take Luke to school, Christy is resting in her bed, I have gotten the baby asleep, and Catherine is running around singing " I know you....." Christy finished up her princess quilt last night, so she is one happy little girl.

Christy did some research on her disease last night and I think she understands more now what she is up against. Stress, fatigue, anything can bring on these attacks. Well, she is still having like one big attack, but the medicine she is on is slowing down the tremors. She is real tired and "drug out" taking the medicine. By the evenings though she is a little more perky and like herself.

Sherrill and I went out cruising for awhile yesterday afternoon. We ended up on the freeway and had to go 15 miles before the next exit. Fifteen miles there, 15 back, and alot of complaining in between.

Y'all look out for your families, and I will keep up with Christy. Thanks for those of you that take time to post something. It means alot. I don't always have time to talk on the phone, so please keep me informed of what is going on out there.

Love you all :)

Let the fun begin!

Kurt is going back to work at 5:00 am so as I am typing he is giving Jacob his last bottle. From now on he's my baby. One problem though, he doesn't like it when I give him a bottle, and he doesn't like for me to rock him to sleep. He WILL let me feed him food though. Go figure.
So tonight at 1:00 am and 5:00 am Jacob and I will either be bonding or fighting. Sherrill is the backup plan. Oh, another thing, every time Jacob gets up, Bella (the dog) has to go out to pee.
Now, have YOU ever carried a dog out in the middle of the night to pee? This will be an experience!

Christy is hanging in there. She tried cutting her dosage of medicine this morning so she wouldn't be so sleepy, but the jerking was so bad she had to take the regular dose. She did go to Walmart though with Sherrill, Kurt, and the kids. That was probably NOT the best idea!

I'll try to keep you posted!

Hugs and Kisses to everyone!

An Easter Surprise!

This is Kathy...

I didn't EVEN know that I had access to write on this blog...

Uncle Larry emailed me the CUTEST little people in the CUTEST video and I thought that everyone needed to see it and smile!

Enjoy!

Wednesday morning

Good morning world. Kenny has gone off to school and Kurt and Sherrill have gone to carry Luke to school. Sherrill has to sign him in and out everyday on the computer. And as most of you know, Sherrill can turn ON the computer and turn it OFF. That is about the extent of it. He has to remember Luke's number, and type it in. This should be quite an experience for him. He will be carrying Luke by himself tomorrow.

Christy was up this morning around 6:00 still trembling. She went back to bed and is still resting. I guess she will take her pill after she eats breakfast. She starts a new med on Friday.
If I keep repeating myself, I'm sorry. I don't know what I have told whom. It all gets confusing after awhile.

The kids are doing great. Kurt got up with Jacob during the night, and Sherrill got up once with "Bella", the dog. He hasn't let her get away anymore since yesterday afternoon. Bella went chasing the school kids.

I'm sitting here clipping coupons. My girls and these coupons. They have enough to start a bonfire.

Hope everyone has a good day!

New Report

These are the facts as I know them........Christy and Kurt left this morning to go to Vegas to the neurologist. While on the road Christy got a call saying that her blood came back showing that she has strep. Evidently the strep has gone through her entire body, then ended up in her brain which caused all the havoc. She has decided NOT to go to Vegas and to turn around to come home. The neurologist is putting her on some new medication . It may take 6 months up to 2 years for this work its way out, clear up, or whatever. The doctor that diagnosed it has seen only 2 other cases in his lifetime, and he was pretty sure all along that this is what it was. Christy will be heading down a long road, so it's time to be nice to Christy.........Ma said!
We will get her back once she recuperates.

She is not doing well getting alot of phone calls, so if she doesn't talk, don't take it personally.
If you call her, call the house phone, 867-2470. (I'll find the area code later) That way Kurt or I will answer the phone. She has been getting so many calls she can't get any rest.

That's all I know for now. If I said something wrong, I will correct it later.

Later gater.

POLLEN

Judy and Sherrill,
You two ran away from the pollen just in time! It is horrible, and no rain due till friday :( You look around and everything is YELLOW/GREEN! It is getting the best of us............

Meghans boo boo

Meghan fell on the play ground at school today and cut her chin in two places.

FOR SALE BY NEIGHBOR

Our owner has left us, and we have taken their house under OUR control! We eat what we want, we stay up ALL night and party, and we annoy and harass OUR neighbors :)

The neighbors are now beginning to threaten us, and put us up for sale! Can you believe that?! We are 2 cute mutts, who loves kids, bacon and pupperoni sticks, short walks, birds, other friendly dogs, lawn mowers, and last but not least OUR HUMAN NEIGHBORS.

So, we took matters into our own paws and decided that we would put ourselves up for sale, before our OWNER returns! If you like what you see in the above pics, please respond to our ad by posting your bids!

HURRY, we can smell him :)

Today's events

Today started out great with a little 2 year old crawling in bed with me. That was good for about 30 minutes, then by 7:10 she was up and ready to eat. Luke was out of pre school today, but Kenny had to truck out in the cold to go to school.

Christy started out with a really bad morning. If you take the person that you have seen with Parkinson's disease, this is how she begins her day. She was able to sit in the recliner for awhile, but was shaking so bad she had to go back to bed because she was so nauseated. She rested for awhile, and was a little better when she got up. She had to go out today to get a copy of her medical records for tomorrow. She had to go because she had to sign I don't know how she was able to do that. The Dr called in another muscle relaxer, but he said she can't stay on this. It's just for right now. Still no blood results to confirm the previous diagnosis. Two calls were made to the Dr today, with no results. They will call tomorrow to check.

I'll let you all know if we hear anything.

grandma in the west and graduation

so grandma, since you are out here then i guess you are forced to stay here till my graduation :)

We're here !

We finally made it. Our last 1 hour was driving up a mountain. We got up to 10,000 feet elevation. There was snow everywhere. It was beautiful. For some of the time we had to go 25 to 30 MPH.

Christy is really hanging in there. I don't think any of you other kids could cope any better with this. I can sit beside her with her right arm propped on a pillow, and then rest my arm beside the pillow, and my arm will shake up and down along with hers. Her head stays in continuous motion. Baby Jacob has to be taken care of by someone else. Grandma Debbie (Kurt's mom) has had that job since Thursday when all of this happened. Christy informed us that he gets up twice during the night, and the dog has to go out twice during the night. At least everyone is on a schedule.

I'll post pictures tomorrow. It's been a long three days. Have a good night everyone.

Grant, New Mexico

Well, here we are, Grant New Mexico. We are probably about an hour to the Arizona boarder.
We stopped early, 50 miles shy of our 1,000 mile mark for the day. Sherrill was driving and the sun was shining in his eyes. Today has been quite the experience. One thing.....why do men think they can set cruise control on 75 while going around a mountain and through the rocks?

Second thing, how can an RV pass you over 20 times while climbing a mountain......and by the way, it was pulling a pick up truck with a golf cart in the back. Oh well, that's life.

I am kind of confused about tomorrow's trip. Mapquest said it will take 9 hours, and Tom Tom and Daniel say it will take 11 1/2 hours. So, tomorrow will be another long day! At least I might be able to see Christy before she goes to bed.

Christy is tiring easily and has had a rough day trying to talk. I just can't seem to get there fast enough.

Bye for now.

Arkansas

Well, here we are........1,000 miles down the road . I drove 14 hours and Sherrill drove two. We actually had a great trip with only one ugly word coming from Sherrill's mouth. He never tried to jump out of the car either.

Now we are in a suite, with a door we can close between us. Isn't life grand?

I talked with Christy and she is still hanging in there. Kat is at her house now. We are making our way there as fast as we can.

Abby, thanks for taking of little "baby brother Jack". I told Sherrill it's about time he broke the apron strings!

Love to all.

Mom

I talked to mom around 4:30 pm PST and they were in Little Rock. They were gonna drive some more for the day. Oh, they are taking I-40 to get there.

When she checks in for the night, I'll be sure to post it.

Time for a SMILE

In the middle of all the worry and concern there is a bright spot. Lauren and Carter came over today styling in their sun glasses. They were out working in the yard with Abby and Sherrill.

Abby was raking leaves in her yard, and Sherrill was cutting grass in ours, probably blowing more leaves to her.

When the kids came in to get something to drink, I snapped a quick picture.

All packed and ready to go

We plan to leave in the morning at 5:00 AM. That is if I can get Sherrill up that early. We have the chicken cooked for Jack, now Sherrill needs to fix him up some bacon. He just has to have his bacon every morning!

Plans are to go to Atlanta, then we will decide if we are heading toward Dallas or Oklahoma. I want to try to avoid the Colorado route. So many decisions! There are roads closed on 40 in NC mountains, and roads closed in Colorado. Then there is the blasting at the Hoover dam. I need a tour guide just to get across country!

Wish us well. We need all the help we can get. Sherrill HATES riding.The last cross country trip we took he jumped out in Louisianna!

Bye for now. I will update when I can.

Love you all!

Possible diagnosis - sydenham chorea

Christy's doctor called and said the neurologist has diagnosed her with sydenham chorea. You can google it for more info. They are still waiting for blood test though to confirm the diagnosis.
It could take months for this to clear up. Christy wasn't able to talk mush early this morning, but could talk a little better a little while ago.

Sherrill and I will be heading west tonight or tomorrow. Any takers for Jack?

Here's what I found about the disease.

Sydenham chorea

Sydenham chorea is a movement disorder that occurs with rheumatic fever.
Symptoms
Changes in handwriting
Jerky, uncontrollable, and purposeless movements in different muscle groups (looks like twitching)
Loss of fine motor control, especially of the fingers and hands
Loss of emotional control, with bouts of inappropriate crying or laughing
Symptoms of rheumatic fever
Treatment
Supportive care is given as necessary to control symptoms of Sydenham chorea, especially the constant movements. Sedation may be advised in severe cases.
Causes
Sydenham chorea is one of the major signs of acute rheumatic fever. It is discussed here separately because it may be the only sign of rheumatic fever in some patients.
Sydenham chorea occurs most often in girls before puberty, but may be seen in boys.
Tests & diagnosis
There may be a history of sore throat for several weeks before Sydenham chorea.
Blood tests that may show signs of rheumatic fever include erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).
Different blood tests may be done to identify whether the child may have a strep infection..
Prognosis
Sydenham chorea usually clears up in a few months. In rare cases, an unusual form of Sydenham chorea may begin later in life.
Prevention
Pay careful attention to children's complaints of sore throats and get early treatment to prevent acute rheumatic fever. If there is a strong family history of rheumatic fever, be especially watchful, because your children may be more likely to develop this infection.
Complications
No complications are expected.
When to contact a doctor
Call your health care provider if your child develops uncontrollable or jerky movements, especially if the child has recently had a sore throat.

Good Morning World

I talked with Debbie, Kurt's mom yesterday. She helped me to understand what is going on. I asked her if Christy looked like someone that had a stroke, and she said NO. She said the best way to describe Christy is "Michael J Fox". She talks like him, and her body twitches out of control. So, that's all I know for now. Kurt's mom is going home today to take care of thigs, then she IS going back to Christy's for the weekend. I still don't know how Chrsity is getting to
Vegas on Tuesday for her Dr. appt.

That's all for now folks!